Buzz Tracker On Linux
[Audio / Music & Linux] Reuben @ Oct 15 2005

[UPDATE: To get sound working under Ubuntu Gutsy, I ran wineconfig from the command line (after installing the version of wine mentioned below), and under the audio tab chose Alsa.]
[UPDATE: Fixed urls.]

I finally got Buzz Tracker working well on Linux. I have a pretty powerful machine, so YMMV (I know that when I tried it on my old 400Mhz pentium, it was pathetically laggish.)

I am running Ubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger); Wine version 20050725 (which is in the Ubuntu stable); KDE 3.4.2; alsa 1.0.9b-4. [UPDATE - the most recent version of Wine (0.9.30) somehow breaks buzz. Version 0.9.19 (mirror) is verified to work.]

I followed the instructions here. Below is an abbreviated step by step, with locally mirrored resources:

  • Download buzz (alternate mirror). Note that this is one of the only binaries which actually work. Updated versions may have problems.
  • Run: wine buzz_base_install.exe
  • cd ~/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/Buzz
  • wine buzz.exe

Once you have run this the first time, KDE will add “buzz” to the wine menu.

Do not futz with the sound settings (if they work.) If they don’t, and you manage to get them working, please leave a comment describing how.

I made a tar.bz2 containing 100s of machines – samplers, synths, reverbs, choruses, … Download it here.

Be sure to save early and safe often. Sometimes adding a machine to your song will crash Buzz. (GRR) Please leave a comment in this thread if you find a machine which does so.

Here & here are sample loops which I made to demonstrate how everything fits together. Mix out some of the channels to get a feel for how you could use this live.

Resources:
Manual
More Machines
Buzz Wiki
Buggy Machines

UPDATE – I had problems getting Buzz working on Ubuntu Feisty. I reverted to the wine linked to above; blew away ~/.wine completely (NB only do this if you have no other windows apps), reinstalled Buzz, but still I was getting a “wave out open failed” dialog popping up behind the splash screen and freezing startup. I managed to alt-tab to the dialog and press enter (it didn’t become visible) which at least got me into Buzz. Once in, I cycled through the sound output options, applying each (none worked), before reverting to Windows Waveform Audio. I closed Buzz, and restarted it, and this time sound worked. Roll on Buzztard.


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